NHS charging would be hard to run and raise only small sums, thinktank says

The vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs said charging patients for appointments ‘will not work in any form’. Photograph: RayArt Graphics/Alamy

Charging patients for using NHS services would be hugely expensive and complicated to implement and would not banish the health service’s problems, a thinktank has found.

Several senior Conservative politicians have proposed introducing fees for accessing NHS care and Rishi Sunak has previously backed £10 fines for people who miss a GP or hospital appointment.